Homosexuality in the animal world

The world's first exhibition of homosexuality in animals has shown that homosexuality in humans is not unnatural.

Why do all species race . gay relationships?

With evidence of male or female homosexual behavior between giraffes, penguins, parrots, beetles, whales and dozens of other species, the Oslo Museum of Natural History, Norway, concludes Homosexuality in humans is not unnatural.

Geir Soeli, head of the project called " Against Nature ", said: "Homosexuality has been observed in more than 1,500 animals and has been described in more than 500 species".

Bonobo - bonobo.(Photo: janegoodall)

"Sexual needs are very strong in every animal. It is part of life and brings joy," Soeli said of the reasons for gay and bisexual relationships in animals.

Greek philosopher Aristotle mentioned homosexual behavior in hyenas from 2,300 years ago, but evidence of homosexuality in animals is often ignored by researchers due to disgust, lack of interest or laughs. .

According to evolution theory, sex is the means to transfer genes back to the next generation. So where does homosexual behavior come from? Does it appear from evolution, or just to get pleasure? Birds, reptiles, mammals, and even snails also participate in this game.

Homosexual sex in animals is just one of many sexual behaviors . This behavior is relatively common, and in some species, it appears with quite a thick frequency.

In the animal world, faithful life "monogamous" is really " rare ". They are " indiscriminate" quite indiscriminately - a male with many females, a female with many males, or a common one, etc.

Dr Geoff McFarlane, a biologist at the University of Newcastle, said: "The animal world has a lot of ways to organize and" do "things."

Gay animals

Few doubts giraffes also like homosexual sex.

Homosexual behavior has been carefully observed by the scientific community in almost all animals. Worldwide, a total of about 450 species have homosexual habits.

McFarlane found that homosexual behavior in primates is more common than other mammals , but not without birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects and animals. invertebrates. Not only in wild animals, but also poultry also exist this phenomenon, especially the sheep.

Most homosexual behaviors described in books appear in mammals. Giraffes live in groups full of males, and they only relate to females for reproductive purposes. About 80% of the relationships between male giraffes are sexual, and often manifested by riding on each other. Riding rate in male lion is 8%.

In particular, primates have very complex homosexual relationships. Approximately 30 species of primates have been recorded as having "gay couples," even those who have sex with each other for a long time.

Gay birds

Flamingos are famous in the bird world with their "different" behavior.

Over 130 species of birds, including rare and famous flamingos, spend a lot of time in homosexual relationships.

McFarlane said: " Flamingos are a good example of the gay phenomenon in birds. About 6% of the flamingos actually pair together and do all the" tricks "that males and females still do. do, including cuddling and raising children, they can take a nest and feed the chicks. "

Surprisingly, in waterbirds, gay males are often more successful than " chicks ", simply because they are more aggressive and can invade more territories. Among the Roseate terns , one-third are "pure sisters " - they pair up and raise children. Both lay eggs, and often some eggs are still fertilized, proving that they are still frequently "involved" with " men".

In Australia, scientists have counted over 40 species of birds with homosexual behavior. This trend may still continue to grow. Even in galah species , homosexual relationships continue to be maintained even when the " death partner" dies, the population in the herd or the vacancy rate changes.

Find the answer

Even snails also "stick" into gay sex.

According to Darwin's evolutionary theory , animals evolved because the traits of change would create their reproductive advantages. Those characteristics will be passed down to many generations to come. Previously, biologists have repeatedly tried to explain homosexual behavior in animals, such as sex "misguided", mischievous, or "practice" animals before the actual "conflict". . Some people argue that homosexuality occurs because in the community there is a shortage of males or females, or a result of captivity.

One of the latest theories is Paul Vasey 's "happy buying" theory of Lethbridge University (Canada). He conducted observations on homosexual behavior of Japanese baboons and found that 33% of their homosexual behaviors were among females. And his explanation is something no one has ever thought of: They do it just for fun!

So is homosexual behavior innate or by learning? As with other animal behaviors, this is an intersection between the role of nature and "learning" , and each species has a different characteristic. In terms of " learning ", this behavior is influenced by domination and order. On the "natural" side , biologists believe this behavior is the result of increased levels of hormones before and after birth. Elizabeth Atkins-Regan, a researcher at Cornell University, tested by exposing female finches to an inhibitor of estrogen synthesis. Young hatchlings of females tend to like females, but in the case of empty hormone suppression, hatched young birds prefer the male.